


A Little Clarification

by Captain Natasha Riker-Troi (textsfrompicard)



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dorks in Love, F/M, Friendship/Love, Gen, Imzadi (Star Trek), Light-Hearted, Meet the Family, Missing Scene, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:55:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26651002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/textsfrompicard/pseuds/Captain%20Natasha%20Riker-Troi
Summary: Missing scene from The Offspring where Riker goes straight to Deanna’s office after Lal kisses him and asks her what the hell is going on (my headcanon is that that’s where he went after he left Ten-Forward because his first instinct when he’s confused or otherwise thrown off balance is to turn to her <3).
Relationships: William Riker/Deanna Troi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 35





	A Little Clarification

“Data has a _daughter?!_ ”

Deanna Troi looked up from her computer monitor to see Will Riker standing in the doorway of her office, wild-eyed and out of breath. His emotional aura was a whirl of bewilderment and something she couldn’t quite identify, but seemed akin to embarrassment.

“Welcome back, Will. Did you enjoy your shore leave?” she asked him pleasantly.

“ _Deanna_ ,” he said almost pleadingly.

She sighed and decided to stop teasing him. “Fine,” she said, gesturing for him to sit next to her on the couch. She quickly outlined Data’s decision to ‘sire’ an offspring, his efforts to build a positronic brain and android body, and his eventual reveal to Wesley, Geordi, and herself. She also described Admiral Haftel’s arrival and his subsequent insistence that Lal be relocated to Galor IV. “Now, what exactly caused you so much emotional turmoil that you raced across the ship and burst into my office without so much as a by-your-leave?”

Riker exhaled and looked down at his shoes. “Now I know why the captain wants to see me so soon after I got back. It sounds like we have another Maddox on our hands.”

“Will, you’re stalling.”

He looked up and met her gaze. “Well, she kissed me.”

Troi’s eyes widened briefly in surprise before she raised an amused eyebrow. “And this bothers you?”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t you go all counselor on me, Deanna.”

“If you didn’t want to talk to a counselor, then you shouldn’t have come to a counselor’s office.” Troi smirked good-naturedly.

Riker smirked back. “Touché.” He fell silent again, and Troi could tell he was still trying to make sense of the experience in his mind. “Perhaps if you just told me what happened, from the beginning,” she prompted after a few moments.

“All right.” Riker sighed and launched into his tale. “I walked into Ten-Forward and saw her behind the bar. I came up to her and asked if she was new here, she said yes, and then she just… _yanked_ me across the bar. Lifted me up by my shirt as if I didn’t weigh more than a feather, and kissed me right on the mouth. Then Data walks in and, of all things, asks me what my _intentions_ are toward her. As if I had anything more in mind than some harmless flirting and maybe a synthehol or two.” He stopped abruptly, seeming to run out of words. “I just… it took me by surprise, that’s all,” he finished lamely.

Troi listened to his story with mild amusement. “Well, I can certainly understand why. The shoe was on the other foot this time, wasn’t it?”

His eyes narrowed. “And just what is that supposed to mean?”

“Well,” she said slowly, enjoying the opportunity to needle him, “you’re accustomed to being the more forward one in an interaction such as this. It must have been very unnerving to suddenly be the recipient of such a… bold move.”

“I’ve never been _that_ forward, Deanna!”

“What about the first time you kissed me?”

“That was different! For one thing, I don’t have the strength of an android. For another, we were already _on_ a date. And we actually knew each other’s names!”

Deanna held her hand up in an effort to calm him down, laughing. “All good points. But _my_ point still stands.”

Riker relaxed slightly, and he felt a renewed sense of embarrassment. “I feel kind of silly now, barging in here like that. I guess I just needed… a little clarification.” His embarrassment faded to gratitude as he smiled. He reached out and placed his hand on top of hers. “I know I can always count on you for that.”

Deanna smiled back and squeezed his hand. “It’s what I do, _Imzadi_.” 

Their eyes met, and the love that was always there but never allowed to fully surface shone between them for a long moment. Then Riker cleared his throat and stood a little too abruptly. “Well, I’d better go see the captain. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Counselor. It’s always a pleasure.”

“Likewise, Commander. I do hope you’ll come again.”


End file.
